Data plays a more central role in healthcare than ever before. It won’t be long before every person’s genome is sequenced at birth, with follow-up sequencing done at regular intervals throughout life. Each genomic check-up would produce roughly 180 gigabytes of data that will need to be processed, analyzed, and stored. The promise of using … Continue reading “The Reconfigurable Future of Healthcare”
Boston Tech Watch: GE, HubSpot, Fuze, MIT, Vesper, Quickhelp & More
It was a busy week in Boston tech. Here’s a recap of some of the latest headlines: —GE Healthcare and Partners HealthCare announced a 10-year partnership to develop artificial intelligence tools to improve healthcare. The collaboration will initially focus on applying deep learning technology to diagnostic imaging, but could later expand to areas such as … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: GE, HubSpot, Fuze, MIT, Vesper, Quickhelp & More”
Aira Raises $12M to Expand Services for Blind and Visually Impaired
After beta testing technology that provides remote assistant services for the blind, San Diego-based Aira has raised $12 million in a Series B round that it says will enable the company to expand its service to thousands of visually impaired users this year. Aira takes advantage of the gig economy by connecting online independent contractors … Continue reading “Aira Raises $12M to Expand Services for Blind and Visually Impaired”
Could Seattle’s Life Science Expertise Support Clean Meat Industry?
The Pacific Northwest has the ingredients and the recipes for innovation in animal-free meats and proteins—but entrepreneurs and investors here have yet to don the chef’s toque. An event at the University of Washington’s CoMotion innovation transfer arm on Monday seeks to gauge interest among would-be innovators in the clean meat and plant-based protein. Advocates have … Continue reading “Could Seattle’s Life Science Expertise Support Clean Meat Industry?”
Menlo Ventures Says Small Is Beautiful For New $450M Fund
Menlo Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm investing in tech startups since 1976, announced today that it closed a $450 million fund that brings its capital under management to more than $5 billion. The new fund, Menlo Ventures XIV, will be devoted primarily to early-stage investments in both enterprise and consumer technologies. The firm’s … Continue reading “Menlo Ventures Says Small Is Beautiful For New $450M Fund”
Stem Pharm Aims to Add to Madison’s Stem Cell Past with Biomaterials
In the years since researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison derived the first human embryonic stem cell line, in 1998, numerous stem cell-focused businesses have popped up in the area. Each one has its own unique concentration, but the overarching goal of these companies is to develop and sell lines of stem cells, as well … Continue reading “Stem Pharm Aims to Add to Madison’s Stem Cell Past with Biomaterials”
Elliott Buys Into Health IT Firm Athenahealth, Sends Stock Soaring
Finding a healthcare company with the right technological know-how can be an attractive investment opportunity. That’s the thinking behind a move announced this morning by activist investor Elliott Associates, which bought a 9.2 percent stake in Boston-area health IT company Athenahealth (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ATHN]]). The news sent Watertown, MA-based Athenahealth’s stock up more than 22 percent … Continue reading “Elliott Buys Into Health IT Firm Athenahealth, Sends Stock Soaring”
Medtech Firm Nativis Appoints Ferguson Chief Scientific Officer
Nativis, a medical device company aiming to use ultra-low radio frequency energy to treat disease, has appointed Kenneth Ferguson chief scientific officer. Seattle-based Nativis is currently in clinical trials testing its medical device, Nativis Voyager, as a treatment for recurrent glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. Before joining Nativis, Ferguson was chief development officer for … Continue reading “Medtech Firm Nativis Appoints Ferguson Chief Scientific Officer”
Tackling Opioid Crisis, Biobot Wins Top Prize at MIT DesignX Event
Biobot Labs, a startup that aims to help governments address the opioid crisis by analyzing sewage samples to understand drug consumption trends, won first place Wednesday night at a demo event for the inaugural session of MIT’s DesignX startup accelerator. DesignX was launched last year by MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning to nurture ventures … Continue reading “Tackling Opioid Crisis, Biobot Wins Top Prize at MIT DesignX Event”
Study Stakes San Diego’s Claim in Genomics: $292M in 2016 VC Deals
Preliminary findings from an economic impact study show that genomics is emerging as a distinct innovation cluster in San Diego. The San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. began collecting data for the report earlier this year in a bid to assess how genomics fits into San Diego’s innovation economy. Final results of the EDC study … Continue reading “Study Stakes San Diego’s Claim in Genomics: $292M in 2016 VC Deals”
Ex-Sarepta CEO Garabedian Returns to Run Bio Accelerator Xontogeny
Chris Garabedian, a veteran biotech executive who helped turn Sarepeta Therapeutics around before his controversial exit in 2015, has returned to the life sciences scene—this time with a new venture to form some biotech startups and help others find their footing. Garabedian is the chairman and CEO of a new Boston-based life sciences accelerator called … Continue reading “Ex-Sarepta CEO Garabedian Returns to Run Bio Accelerator Xontogeny”
After Saving GE Millions, Tamr Gets GE Ventures Investment
General Electric’s venture capital arm has invested an undisclosed amount in Tamr, the “data unification” software firm based in Cambridge, MA. Boston-based GE (NYSE: [[ticker:GE]]) tapped Tamr in 2014 to help it unify and clean up data from more than 270 separate systems across multiple GE businesses, with the goal of creating an accurate, comprehensive … Continue reading “After Saving GE Millions, Tamr Gets GE Ventures Investment”
Distil’s Are You a Human Acquisition Is Big Win for Tech Community
Detroit’s nascent tech community got a significant validation today as Silicon Valley cybersecurity company Distil Networks announced it has acquired homegrown, Dan Gilbert-backed startup Are You a Human. The specific terms and the monetary value of the deal were not disclosed, but Distil says it plans to open a new office in Detroit as a … Continue reading “Distil’s Are You a Human Acquisition Is Big Win for Tech Community”
Boundless Co-Founders Unveil New Startup, Blissfully, in New York
The Boundless boys are at it again. Ariel Diaz and Aaron White, who previously co-founded Boston education startup Boundless, have moved to New York City to pursue a new tech venture. The new company is called Blissfully, and it recently raised a $1.5 million seed funding round led by Eric Paley at Founder Collective. Blissfully … Continue reading “Boundless Co-Founders Unveil New Startup, Blissfully, in New York”
Check Out The Agenda for What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017
We have posted the agenda for What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017, which is taking place on June 14 at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Xconomy is gathering some of the field’s experts to assess the past and future opportunities and challenges when using the immune system to fight cancer—folks like Hans … Continue reading “Check Out The Agenda for What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017”
With Ransomware Concerns Fresh, Cybersecurity Firms Tap VC Funding
While a wave of cyber attacks like the coordinated “WannaCry” virus may be bad for business, it’s no secret that it means good business promotion for the cybersecurity industry. As cybersecurity stocks rose across the board Monday after a weekend full of hacks, a variety of startups rode the wave of interest in Web security … Continue reading “With Ransomware Concerns Fresh, Cybersecurity Firms Tap VC Funding”
Figuring It Out: Addressing Practices That Impact Women in Technology
The Women’s March, New Tech Northwest’s annual “Women in Tech” event, and International Women’s Day are just a few of the recent events prompting important conversations around inequality in the tech industry. These discussions, while breakthroughs in many regards, are still just the beginning of real change. I’ve gathered a number of ideas for what … Continue reading “Figuring It Out: Addressing Practices That Impact Women in Technology”
B of A Tracks Customs of P2P Users As Banks Ready To Take On Venmo
More than 70 percent of people surveyed recently think that children now under age 10 won’t be writing any checks to pay their debts when they grow up—even when the folks they owe are close friends or family members. It’s not that the majority in that poll believe we’re raising a generation of deadbeats or … Continue reading “B of A Tracks Customs of P2P Users As Banks Ready To Take On Venmo”
Cybersecurity Firm Iboss Expands in Boston, Not Abandoning San Diego
[Updated 5/17/17, 4:53 pm. See below.] Iboss, a San Diego-based cybersecurity firm that opened a small satellite office in Boston last year, has expanded its presence in Massachusetts and decided to designate the local outpost as its corporate headquarters. Iboss held an event Wednesday to announce that it’s moving into a new 20,000-square-foot space in … Continue reading “Cybersecurity Firm Iboss Expands in Boston, Not Abandoning San Diego”
Xconomy Bookclub: “Startup” Offers a Pointed Look at Techie Culture
Doree Shafrir’s novel Startup is set in New York City’s tech scene, but given its theme, there is, of course, a detour to Austin to attend South By Southwest. She describes it as “the tech industry’s five-day Super Bowl, prom, Oscars, and Coachella all wrapped into one, with breakfast tacos.” At this annual techie pilgrimage, … Continue reading “Xconomy Bookclub: “Startup” Offers a Pointed Look at Techie Culture”
Back To The Baseline? Ex-FDA Commish Califf Joins Verily As Advisor
In addition to a return to his old stomping grounds at Duke University, former FDA commissioner Robert Califf is going to work for Verily Life Sciences, the Silicon Valley R&D health group formerly known as Google Life Sciences. Verily published a blog post Wednesday in Califf’s name describing the vaguest outlines of his new gig. … Continue reading “Back To The Baseline? Ex-FDA Commish Califf Joins Verily As Advisor”
Stifling Immigration Is “Retrograde”: Highlights From “What’s Hot”
Drug pricing. The opioid epidemic. Boardroom diversity. Immigration crackdowns. The state of cancer care now, and in the future. These things aren’t just topics of conversation in Boston biotech circles, but nationwide. Connecting those two with some lively, candid discussions was the idea behind Xconomy’s “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech” event last week. Today we’re … Continue reading “Stifling Immigration Is “Retrograde”: Highlights From “What’s Hot””
Hurry & Save 20 Percent on New York Biotech Seizes the Momentum
We’re only two weeks away from New York Biotech Seizes the Momentum, which will take place Wednesday, May 31, at Alexandria Center for Life Science. If you’re already planning on attending, there’s no need to wait any longer—our Super Saver special ends soon and seats are filling up fast, so act now and save 20 … Continue reading “Hurry & Save 20 Percent on New York Biotech Seizes the Momentum”
Riding Recent Biotech IPO Wave, G1 Snags $105M to Fund Cancer Work
Cancer drugmaker G1 Therapeutics raised $105 million in an IPO last night, the latest development in a recent uptick of biotech offerings. G1, of Research Triangle Park, NC, sold 7 million shares at $15 apiece. G1 had to sell more shares than it had intended (6.25 million) to hit its goal, but still priced within … Continue reading “Riding Recent Biotech IPO Wave, G1 Snags $105M to Fund Cancer Work”
Proofpoint Uncovers Second Cyberattack That Uses Stolen NSA Tools
Cybersecurity company Proofpoint, which helped slow the sweeping global ransomware attack WannaCry after it emerged Friday, has now discovered a much more insidious, profitable, and potentially widespread cyberattack called Adylkuzz. Adylkuzz doesn’t demand, as WannaCry does, that victims pay a ransom to retrieve their data. Adylkuzz makes no announcement when it quietly invades target computers. … Continue reading “Proofpoint Uncovers Second Cyberattack That Uses Stolen NSA Tools”
4 Ways MIT Advanced Campus Entrepreneurship This School Year
[Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories examining entrepreneurship on MIT’s campus and beyond.] MIT has been a prolific generator of entrepreneurs for decades. But in recent years, the Institute has ramped up campus resources for would-be company builders, thanks in part to a more supportive attitude from administrators. Xconomy chronicled those efforts and … Continue reading “4 Ways MIT Advanced Campus Entrepreneurship This School Year”
Partnership on AI Adds Corporate, NGO Members, Charts Initial Course
Artificial intelligence is a booming business in 2017, but one that also comes with significant baggage in the form of public misunderstanding, potential job losses, and fear. Last fall, A.I. competitors Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, IBM, and Google banded together to form the Partnership on AI to Benefit People and Society, an industry-led attempt to get … Continue reading “Partnership on AI Adds Corporate, NGO Members, Charts Initial Course”
Understory’s Weather Data Tracking Network Is Now Active in 6 Cities
Understory, a weather technology startup based in Madison, WI, has expanded its geographic footprint and named a key customer. Understory builds weather stations to measure things like wind, temperature, humidity, rain, and hail. It sells weather data to businesses such as insurance company Pacific Specialty—a customer Understory just revealed—and provides data free to consumers. With … Continue reading “Understory’s Weather Data Tracking Network Is Now Active in 6 Cities”
Automotive Infosec Startup Karamba Snags $12M for Hack-Blocking Tech
There are conflicting opinions, even within Xconomy’s newsroom, about whether autonomous vehicles will be the game-changing technology the automotive industry hopes for. Yet, connected-car cybersecurity startup Karamba is moving full steam ahead—and its investors just doubled down with a new round of funding. Today, Karamba, which is based in Ann Arbor, MI, and Hod Hasharon, … Continue reading “Automotive Infosec Startup Karamba Snags $12M for Hack-Blocking Tech”
Fake Photo Blocker: Truepic Introduces App to Verify Online Images
Craig T. Stack said the idea for Truepic came to him from a multitude of online sources. There’s the matchmaking service founded by his wife Greta, who insists on meeting personally with clients because the photos submitted with some online applications just don’t match—or the image seems decades out of date. There are tales about … Continue reading “Fake Photo Blocker: Truepic Introduces App to Verify Online Images”
Austin’s MAP Health Teams Up With Watson For Better Data Analytics
Austin—MAP Health Management, an Austin health IT and telehealth company, is partnering with IBM Watson to use analytics to better treat patients with substance abuse problems. The partnership is designed to fill a gap in long-term care for recovering addicts. The companies will use data analytics to understand which patients are at greatest risk of … Continue reading “Austin’s MAP Health Teams Up With Watson For Better Data Analytics”
UT Health San Antonio Lands $9.1M Grant to Study Drug Resistance
San Antonio — A group of scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is starting research projects funded by the National Cancer Institute that use data collection and computational analysis to study why breast and prostate cancers can progress and why they resist anti-hormone therapies. The goal of the 5-year, … Continue reading “UT Health San Antonio Lands $9.1M Grant to Study Drug Resistance”
LevelUp Bags $50M From JPMorgan Chase & Others For Mobile Payments
LevelUp’s story is one of twists and turns and ups and downs. Right now, it looks like the company is on an upswing. Today the Boston-based mobile payments firm announced a $50 million funding round, which includes $37 million in equity funding and $13 million in debt financing, according to an e-mailed statement attributed to … Continue reading “LevelUp Bags $50M From JPMorgan Chase & Others For Mobile Payments”
Synlogic and Its Modified Bacteria Take Over Dying Company, Go Public
Synlogic, which is developing modified bacteria to use as medicine, has gone public in an unconventional way. Instead of hiring Wall Street bankers to shop its shares to new investors, as most companies do for an initial public offering, Cambridge, MA-based Synlogic has merged with the shell of a former biotech company. The so-called reverse … Continue reading “Synlogic and Its Modified Bacteria Take Over Dying Company, Go Public”
Exact Sciences CEO Defends Company Against Short-Seller’s Criticism
Citron Research published a report critical of Exact Sciences and its flagship screening test for colorectal cancer Monday, prompting a testy exchange on television later in the day between Exact CEO and chairman Kevin Conroy and Andrew Left, founder of Citron and a well-known short-seller. In the 13-page report, Left writes that the rate at … Continue reading “Exact Sciences CEO Defends Company Against Short-Seller’s Criticism”
5 Takeaways From the WannaCry Ransomware Attack
This may be the incident that finally pushes ransomware into the mainstream—and also forces both organizations and malicious hackers to adapt their approaches when it comes to this type of attack. The “WannaCry” virus, which first hit companies and healthcare services on Friday, has infected some 300,000 computer systems in 150-odd countries. By exploiting a … Continue reading “5 Takeaways From the WannaCry Ransomware Attack”
Brett Giroir, Ex-CEO of A&M Health Science Center, on Tap for HHS Post
Houston—Another Texan, and Aggie, could be joining President Trump’s administration. Brett Giroir, the former CEO of the Texas A&M University Health Science Center and current president and CEO of Houston biotech ViraCyte, could become assistant secretary for health for the US Department of Health and Human Services. The White House announced last month the intent … Continue reading “Brett Giroir, Ex-CEO of A&M Health Science Center, on Tap for HHS Post”
With Latest Deal, Biogen Bets $120M on Remedy Pharma Stroke Drug
Biogen has acquired an experimental drug for a type of deadly stroke, adding to the belief that the company, under new CEO Michel Vounatsos, will be more aggressive in pursuing deals to stock its pipeline. Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) is buying glyburide (CIRARA) from New York-based Remedy Pharmaceuticals for $120 million in cash plus potential future … Continue reading “With Latest Deal, Biogen Bets $120M on Remedy Pharma Stroke Drug”
WiseWear, Maker of Iris Apfel Tech Jewelry, Still Testing Med Device
San Antonio—WiseWear has attracted plenty of international attention for its effort to sell a chic wearable device. Vogue, Slate, and InStyle, among other publications, wrote about the company’s Internet-connected jewelry in 2016 after WiseWear began working with a team of prominent designers, including documentary subject Iris Apfel, to bring a fashionable aesthetic to the tech … Continue reading “WiseWear, Maker of Iris Apfel Tech Jewelry, Still Testing Med Device”
Ionis Touts Phase 3 Win, But Safety Worries Cloud Nerve Drug Study
Two RNA-based drugs for the same disease, a rare, crippling nerve condition called familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) with no available treatments in the U.S., could soon be under an FDA review at the same time. The first of those treatments, from Carlsbad, CA, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, is on its way there—but are the data are good … Continue reading “Ionis Touts Phase 3 Win, But Safety Worries Cloud Nerve Drug Study”
PrairieChar’s Manure-Processing Tech Takes Prize at Agtech Showcase
[Updated 5/18/17, 4:01 pm. See below.] Manure is an inescapable part of farming, and it can be an expensive and messy one at that. Large animal farms produce so much waste that it must be stored in tall piles or deep lagoons. If storms spill that waste or it somehow seeps into the groundwater, farmers … Continue reading “PrairieChar’s Manure-Processing Tech Takes Prize at Agtech Showcase”
Scientist.com Raises $24M for “Pharma Markets” that Outsource R&D
San Diego’s Scientist.com set out in 2006 to disrupt part of the pharmaceutical business by providing an Amazon-like approach to the business of hiring contract research organizations (CROs). The company, which operates a network of online markets for outsourcing biomedical research services and supplies, has raised $24 million in a new round of venture funding. … Continue reading “Scientist.com Raises $24M for “Pharma Markets” that Outsource R&D”
SRI’s Michigan Office Will Help Develop New VEE Vaccine
SRI International, the Menlo Park, CA-based nonprofit contract research giant, is counting on its Michigan office to play a crucial role in the development of a new vaccine. SRI has been awarded two contracts worth $4.7 million by the U.S. Army’s Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program to test and manufacture a potential new vaccine against Venezuelan equine … Continue reading “SRI’s Michigan Office Will Help Develop New VEE Vaccine”
Bio Leaders Mourn Passing of Genzyme Exec, Orphan Drug Innovator Termeer
Henri Termeer, a biotechnology pioneer and the longtime CEO of Genzyme, has passed away at the age of 71. According to the Boston Globe, Termeer collapsed in his home in Marblehead, MA, on Friday night. Termeer (pictured) was an important figure in the development of biotech not just in the Boston community, but worldwide as … Continue reading “Bio Leaders Mourn Passing of Genzyme Exec, Orphan Drug Innovator Termeer”
AstraZeneca’s Yong Ben Joins BioAlta as Chief Medical Officer
BioAlta has named Yong Ben its chief medical officer. Ben comes to San Diego-based BioAlta from AstraZeneca (NYSE: [[ticker:AZN]]), where he most recently served as global clinical lead in immune-oncology. BioAlta is developing conditionally active biologic proteins (CABs), which deliver a therapeutic payload or spark an immune response in specific areas of the body.
Audentes Therapeutics Promotes John Gray to Chief Scientific Officer
Gene therapy developer Audentes Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BOLD]]) has promoted John Gray to senior vice president and chief scientific officer. Gray previously served as vice president of research and development for the San Francisco biotech. Before joining Audentes in 2014, Gray was assistant director of the Harvard Gene Therapy Initiative. Last year, Audentes raised $75 million in … Continue reading “Audentes Therapeutics Promotes John Gray to Chief Scientific Officer”
Week in Review: Microsoft’s Introspective CEO on Trust in Tech
There was a lot of interesting tech news to catch up on in Seattle this week, though it was easy to miss it amid the roar and rumble of astonishing political, nuclear waste, and seismic* developments near and far. Read on for highlights from Microsoft’s developer conference; a new Echo device from Amazon, and its … Continue reading “Week in Review: Microsoft’s Introspective CEO on Trust in Tech”
Eli Lilly Migraine Drug Hits Study Goals, Paves Way for FDA Filing
An Eli Lilly drug developed to stop migraine headaches before they can start hit its main goals in a late-stage clinical trial, the company said Friday. With those results now in hand, the Indianapolis-based drugmaker plans to file for FDA approval of the drug later this year. Eli Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) tested its drug galcanezumab … Continue reading “Eli Lilly Migraine Drug Hits Study Goals, Paves Way for FDA Filing”
Amid Comey Furor, Companies React to Trump’s Cybersecurity Order
On a day dominated by news about President Trump’s firing of FBI director James Comey, and its impact on the ongoing investigation of Russian hacking of the 2016 presidential election, two significant developments for the cybersecurity industry also emerged Thursday. First, President Trump signed an executive order laying out plans to shore up data security … Continue reading “Amid Comey Furor, Companies React to Trump’s Cybersecurity Order”
Five Questions For … Station Houston CEO John “JR” Reale
Houston— For John Reale, the CEO of startup co-working space Station Houston, family ties bind strongly. A little more than a week ago, his first child, a daughter named Juliana, was born. “I was telling her a story about my grandfather,” says Reale, who is known as JR. “It was a very emotional moment, to … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Station Houston CEO John “JR” Reale”